Nightwing

Over the years he'd learned to separate himself from the chaos that often surrounded him, to maintain an extraordinary focus in adverse situations. It's the kind of instinct that would allow Nightwing to run briefly on a broken leg, accurately toss a grapnel while dodging gunfire, or hear a conversation in the middle of an inferno. His instinct was in full force as he rolled onto his side. Behind him secondary explosions created a fiery inferno in front of what was purportedly a legitimate warehouse, but which was actually a front business for the Bludhaven mafia. Screams and shouts mingled with the explosion to drown the area with noise.

Pain surged through Nightwing's left side, an aftereffect of the fall he'd experienced seconds earlier.

Several feet away lay Benny Peeples, for whom Nightwing had reluctantly taken responsibility. Benny had fallen as well, might be injured. At the moment, though, his more pressing concern was the Mafioso standing over him, holding a gun on him. Even from a distance, Nightwing could see a mask of resignation mixed with disappointment on Benny's face. He knew his attacker, it was clear. Benny had been the target of the attack on the plant. Targeted for death by his own coworkers.

Without hesitation, Nightwing withdrew three silver shurikens from a compartment he carried for just such occasions. In one fluid motion, the three shurikens sprang from his hand toward the figure menacing Benny. The attacker screamed in pain as the shurikens found their mark, his entire body jerked backwards. His gun discharged, a reflex Nightwing had hoped, without realistic hope, to prevent. Benny did not yell as the bullet grazed his shoulder as he rolled in the opposite direction.

In a flash, Nightwing leaped to his feet and covered the distance toward Benny quickly. Ignoring his throbbing left side, he grabbed Benny and tossed him over his left shoulder. More gunfire hailed toward them, and Nightwing flung a few more shurikens in the direction of the blasts. Benny's attacker had regained his footing and lunged at Nightwing. Without losing stride, Nightwing left his feet and delivered a roundhouse blow to the attacker's face, toppling him backwards. Landing without missing a beat, Nightwing raced for the nearby trees and apparent safety.

"You still with me, Peeples?" he asked once they were in the woods. Benny grunted in the affirmative. "OK. Hang tight. They'll be after us." Nightwing located a nearby tree and scaled it, dragging Benny along with him. "Hope they didn't bring the dogs."

"They'll set fire to the whole woods," Benny rasped.

"I don't think so. Hear those sirens? BPD is finally on the way. They'll have to make themselves scarce." Indeed, no sounds signaled that the pair was being followed.

"My family," protested Benny. "We've got to warn…protect my wife.."

Nightwing's heart sank as he realized Benny was right. Quickly he retracted his cellular phone and called the number of Officer Dick Grayson's precinct. After determining that Amy Rohrbach was on duty, Nightwing left an ‘anonymous’ tip that the Peeples household might be in danger. After hanging up, he regarded Benny. "Your wife will be safe. But clearly we've got some work to do. First we need to check out that bullet you took."

Benny shrugged. "It's nothing serious. Just grazed me. A minor annoyance compared to what's ahead."

"He survived?" asked Frank Indrale, trying to suppress a sly smile.

Walter Indrale was not amused. He had just slammed down the phone in the Indrales' study. Walter was seated behind the large mahogany desk that had once belonged to Frank when he had been younger. Frank now sat across from Walter in a specially prescribed orthopedic chair, designed to minimize the stress on his aging back. The room was lit only by lamps, as neither Frank nor Walter were fans of fluorescent lighting. "Yes," he muttered in response. "There was a cape with him when they showed up. They blew up a lot of real estate, but didn't get Peeples. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Frank stared his son directly in the eyes. "You know why. I…don't approve of what you're doing, or the way you're handling this."

Walter was clearly exasperated, but struggled to keep his composure. "We've been over this. Peeples is a liability at this point. He knows too much to just be wandering around loose."

"This is a hell of a retirement plan you've cooked up, son. You have to know Benny isn't going to compromise the families."

"Really? Then what's he doing hanging around a cape? You think they were swapping stock tips? Explain that to me."

Frank lowered his head. "I can't. But I won't believe that Benny would turn Judas. I just won't accept that."

"Pop, you've gone soft in your…as you've gotten older. The evidence is staring you in the face."

Frank shook his head, eyes still lowered. "This is…this is just wrong."

"There is no right and wrong in this business. You know this. There's good for the family and bad for the family. Jesus, you were the one who taught me how to do this!"

Walter stood to leave. "Where are you going?" protested Frank.

Walter turned before leaving. "I'm going to clean up this mess." He left without explanation.

Frank slowly rose from his chair and walked over to the desk. He lifted the phone and slowly dialed seven digits. After a pause, "Eddie? Frank Indrale. Can we talk?"

"The deal is off" Nightwing declared adamantly.

Benny shook his head in protest. "Nonono, you can't back out now!" Both men were grimy and soiled after their adventure a few hours earlier. They were now tucked away in one of a number of safehouses Nightwing had established in and near Bludhaven. "Please. You've got to help me and my family."

"This is nuts." Nightwing shook his head. "These people are trying to kill you! Do you get that? These people - who you swear you have some obligation to protect - feel no such obligation to you, and in fact are trying end your life. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand. But you don't. What happened tonight was just business. It wasn't anything personal."

"You're out of your mind. You are completely - totally - out of your mind." Nightwing turned and started to walk away. He desperately wanted to rid himself of Benny Peeples and his sordid life forever. Sometimes he cursed his conscience. Times like now, when it wouldn't let him leave. He turned back to Benny. "Who were these guys who tried to kill you? You seemed to recognize them."

"They were Indrale soldiers. I've worked for the Indrale family my whole life."

"Great. What is their connection to Blockbuster's gang."

"Well, these days they're part of it, like all the families in Bludhaven. That's a relatively new development. Historically, there were three families, which operated independently of one another and competed for Bludhaven. The Indrales were one of the three, along with the Scarpattis and the Mihns. They're all old-school Bludhaven families, residents of the area for centuries.

"Bludhaven was always a closed shop to outsiders until Blockbuster came along. What he did, in a short time, was extraordinary. He came in, as an outsider, and took over everything. The Mihns were already pretty much out of the picture by then, but the Indrales and Scarpattis were very powerful. Angel Marin was running the Scarpattis - he married into the family - and he had made them the pre-eminent power in town. In no time, though, Blockbuster was running everything.

"Blockbuster brought outsiders into town - vigilantes, mercenaries, and a whole new family of outsiders - the Oaknine family. Plus he controlled the cops. It was a very…odd mix of folks working together and totally at odds with everything that had been in place historically. But he made it work. He had credibility. Things were stable.

"Now that Blockbuster's laid up, though, things aren't so stable. Redhorn is also an outsider. He has credibility, because he is known to speak for Blockbuster, but he doesn't have the firm control over the families that Blockbuster exercised. Already the Scarpattis are breaking from the coalition. There could be a war coming and the families are preparing themselves. Tightening their belts. Eliminating dead weight. Like me."

Nightwing paused, digesting the historical reference. The information was almost entirely new to him. Until Blockbuster had moved into Bludhaven, its activities had never attracted attention, probably because it was a ‘closed shop’ to outsiders. He turned to Benny. "How much damaging information do you know? If you turned - and I know you're not going to, but suppose you did - how much damage could you do?"

Benny pondered the question. "A lot. I've picked up a lot over the years. I couldn’t bring down any of the families, but I could damage them severely. I could bring down individuals, individuals with significant power."

"But you won't divulge any of this information to me."

Benny shook his head. "Sorry. But I won't."

Ridiculous, Nightwing thought. Honesty among thieves... He sighed. "OK. Here's what we're going to do." He had just finished detailing his plan when his cell phone rang.

"Dammit Grayson, answer your phone!" barked Amy Rohrbach, clearly frustrated by the lack of response from her partner. Amy was camped, along with three other officers, outside the home of Benny Peeples. An anonymous tip had informed them a few hours earlier that the Peeples family might be in danger. Benny Peeples' name had turned up in connection with a few BPD investigations over the years - nothing major, but enough to red-flag his name in their computer system. So he had their interest when his family was mentioned in connection with danger.

Surveillance had been uneventful until just a few moments ago, when a delivery van had parked outside the residence. The delivery van bore the insignia of M&A Moving Company. Amy knew M&A Moving Company to be owned by the Meekins mob family. Something was afoot and she needed backup.

Amy watched as two men exited the van. She noted the license plate number, certain that M&A's invoices would show the vehicle was recently stolen. Each man carried a toolbox, an odd accessory for a mover. Darkness cascaded the neighborhood and Amy knew this was trouble.

She whispered over her radio to her compatriots. "Dawkins. Gretchen. Move on the house. Repeat, move on the house and apprehend. Jurkan, maintain your position." Amy drew her own weapon and emerged from her hiding place.

"POLICE!! FREEZE!!!" she barked as she and the other officers converged on the house. "DROP YOUR BOXES AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!"

Instantly she knew they would not comply. Almost in one motion, each man spun around and drew a weapon, firing before the police could take them out. As the officers recoiled, the gunmen lunged for nearby bushes and the protective cover they offered. Amy heard Officer Gretchen shout into his radio as he was hit. Rolling behind a bush herself, Amy returned fire. She saw one of the gunmen fall just as lights went on in the house. "GODDAMMIT PUT DOWN YOUR F&#K!*G GUN!!!!"

For just a moment the gunman hesitated. It was long enough for Officer Dawkins to drop him with a clean shot to the chest. Blood pooled on the steps as he fell.

"Jurkan, surveil the area. Dawkina and Jurkan, take the van!!" Switching to a different channel, she radioed HQ. "Officer down! Officer down! Need assistance!" Reasonably certain that the van was now unoccupied, Amy raced for the front door of the home, where the two gunmen lay motionless. Screams had begun in earnest from inside.

Ava Peeples had been jarred from a restful sleep by the commotion. When she was first roused from slumber, she'd thought the neighbors were just being too noisy. She'd even mistaken the first gunshot for fireworks set off by some errant miscreant. But she quickly realized, as the hail of bullets began flying outside her once tranquil home, that she was in mortal danger.

Unaccustomed to situations such as this, Ava very rapidly went to pieces. Terror filled her, and she struggled to maintain control of her bladder. She knew she was screaming, but could hear no sound as she crawled from her bed, along the floor, not really sure where she was going. She was screaming so loud, in fact, that she didn't hear her phone ringing.

Only at the very last moment did Ava see the tall dark man emerge from behind her. Before she could react, a rag was placed over her face and the world went black.

Nightwing hated having to chloroform an elderly woman, but knew he had no choice. Ava Peeples hadn't answered her phone; if she had, she would have heard her husband explaining the situation. But she'd panicked and this was the only way to calm her.

The officers outside were trustworthy, particularly Amy Rohrbach. But Nightwing felt, and Benny agreed, that the best solution was to get Ava to the safehouse. Benny had nearly collapsed when he'd learned, from Nightwing via the cell phone message left for Officer Grayson, what was happening at his home. Nightwing had left the safehouse immediately. He'd arrived too late to prevent the firefight, but he could get Ava out of the house ASAP.

The police were just breaking down the front door as Nightwing hoisted Ava through the window and headed for the safety of his car. Rage boiled inside him as he placed Ava in the passenger seat. Ava was an innocent bystander. The Indrales had tried to kill an innocent woman, for reasons he did not understand.

"They think I'm selling out to you," Benny had told him. "They saw us together, and they think we're in league." That made sense, he supposed, but still…attacking Benny's wife was way over-the-top. There had to be something else going on here, something beneath the surface, that he wasn't being told.

The TV droned on in the background at Stool Pigeon Bar & Grille, the bar's patrons oblivious to its message. "-refight between Bludhaven police officers and unknown persons in a residential setting. Unconfirmed reports indicate there were two casualties and an injured officer, although information is somewhat sketchy at this hour. We'll return after these messages with commentary - tonight's topic: What effect, if any, will the recently escalating violence in Bludhaven have on the city's attempts to improve its industrial base?"

Four men sat around a table in the bar, ignoring the television. Since they were soldiers in the Indrale organization, they already knew of the night's events.

"I dunno, man, I just can't believe they want us to go after Benny and Ava," said Greg Asker sadly. "They're our own, for chrissakes. Ava had us all over to their house last year and made friggin chicken and dumplins for us."

"But you heard what they said, dude," replied Chris Malkon. "They found him with a cape. He was gonna sell us out. Why else would he be around a cape?"

"Who knows?" said Asker. "Who cares? This is Benny we're talking about. Guy doesn't have a disloyal bone in his body. I dunno why he was with a cape, but there's no way he was selling us out."

"Don't forget," chimed Quentin Killam. "The way we know he was with a cape is because some guys got sent to kill him. Before they knew about the cape. How's that right?"

"Wouldn'ta happened in the old days," said Jack Edson. "Jus' wouldn'ta."

"You mean when Frank was in charge?" asked Malkon.

"Yup. Walter's OK and all, but he's…different, y'know? Colder. Meaner. Loyalty meant something to Frank. Seniority, that kinda stuff."

"All is know is, this ain't right," Asker said. "It just. Ain't. Right."

Walter Indrale was catching a lot of heat and didn't appreciate it. He'd just hung up with Chief Redhorn, who had called to lament the fact that civilians were being attacked in their homes, and that the attacks were being carried live on television. "Every damn time we shoot someone, the fucking civil rights groups come out of the woodwork!" he'd barked. "That gets the liberals in a tick. Then the conservatives get pissed off because the streets aren't safe! Before long everyone is pissed at me! Why the hell are you out there trying to kill old women in the middle of the night anyway?!?"

Walter hadn't had a good answer for the Chief. It was apparent he had miscalculated badly in targeting Ava Peeples. He'd tried to ignore his heart - both Benny and Ava Peeples were good people, and he genuinely liked them both - and look only at cold hard facts. Fact: Benny was no longer useful as a mob soldier. Fact: Benny knew a lot of confidential information, some of it very close to home. Fact: Benny was seen with a masked vigilante, possibly sharing information.

Analysis: Benny needed to be silenced, and an example needed to be made of his family. Walter's personal feelings were irrelevant. The family's best interests needed to be paramount; especially now, with the city in such a state of flux. Why couldn't anyone see that?

Walter was still ruminating when his door opened. He hadn't expected to be disturbed. Glancing up from his desk in irritation, he was stunned to see Nightwing enter his study, followed closely by Benny Peeples.

Quickly, Walter reached for his call button, which would summon his officers. Nightwing moved more rapidly than Walter could imagine, swiftly crossing the length of the study and grabbing him before he could reach the button. "Don't think so," Nightwing said as he pinned Walter to the wall behind the desk. "We need to talk."

Walter regarded Nightwing with utter contempt, looking behind him to Benny. "So," he sneered. "It's true. You are allying yourself with a cape. You have turned traitor."

"No," said Benny clearly. "No, I have not turned traitor, or betrayed any of your secrets. Even though you tried to kill me. Even though you tried to," his teeth clenched as he spoke, "kill my wife, I have not betrayed you."

"Here's how this is going to work," said Nightwing as he slowly lowered Indrale to the floor. "We're going to talk and you're going to listen. You make one wrong move, you deal with me, away from here, where no one will find you for a long time."

Walter said nothing as Nightwing set him down in his chair and turned in Benny’s direction, locking his eyes on his traitorous employee.

"Walter," said Benny. "The Indrale family has been very good to me over the years. I love your family. I love your father. I loved your mother. I have always tried to be a good soldier, to do the right thing by you.”

"I'm getting old. We both know it. I'm slower; my reflexes are duller; I get winded more easily. I'm a liability to you. “

"I want to retire. I want to take my wife on an extended vacation, cruise around the world, enjoy my remaining years."

Walter started to speak, but Benny raised a hand to silence him. "Please. I want you to know that the various things I have learned over the years - about this family and others - have been learned in the course of a confidential relationship. That doesn't change just because I retire. You have my word that nothing - nothing - I have learned will ever be repeated. The secrets I know will go with me to my grave."

"Benny…" Walter's voice was almost a whisper. "You know I - this family - cannot take that chance. You're a good man. You've been a good soldier. But you come into my home, in the middle of the night, with a cape - to proclaim your loyalty? I can't just rely on your word. I can't. I'm sorry."

Nightwing saw a look pass between Walter and Benny at that moment and everything made sense. Benny had always spoken of the information he possessed in general terms, never giving any specifics. But Nightwing knew at that moment. Benny knew something about Walter, something big, something no one else knew. That was why Walter had behaved so rashly, so desperately as to target Ava. And that was why he wouldn't take Benny's word.

Nightwing intervened. "Fine. If that's the way you want to play it, Walter, try this out. Benny has produced certain documents to me, containing information very damaging to you and your family. The documents are stored in a safe location known only to me and Benny. Benny is going to leave here tonight and go about his business. He is to check in with me at periodic intervals and assure me that he and his family are safe. If he misses one check-in, for any reason, the documents are to be made public."

Nightwing searched Walter's face, trying to spot the fear he'd noticed before. It was gone. Whatever Benny had on Walter wasn't in a document anywhere. It was personal. And that meant their gamble was probably doomed to failure. There were no documents, no agreed-upon check-ins. It was all a bluff, and it didn't appear to be good enough to faze Walter.

Suddenly a feeble voice sounded from behind. Nightwing, Benny and Walter all spun to see two older men enter the study. Five armed men walked in behind them. "Frank?" whispered Benny, and Nightwing guessed he was about to meet Frank Indrale. Seeing the guns, Nightwing instinctively lunged toward Benny, knocking him to the floor to avoid the anticipated gunfire. None followed.

Frank Indrale slowly walked over to where Benny lay on the floor. He extended his hand, and helped Benny up. Glaring at his son, Frank rasped, "Those terms are acceptable. God bless you and your family, Benny. You've been an excellent employee. I will miss you."

Benny looked as if he might cry as he shook Frank's hand. Walter began to protest, "Dad, anyone could walk in here and claim…you can't.."

"I can," said Frank sternly. "And I am. Understand, whether I am dead or alive, this is my word. Benny and his family are free. They're not to be touched." To Benny he added, "Go. Good luck, son." Even at fifty-nine years old, Benny was Frank's ‘son.’

"What about the cape?" asked Walter, gesturing at Nightwing, who had gotten up off the floor. "You gonna trust him too?"

Frank regarded Nightwing. "Thank you for assisting Benny. Understand, we have no deal with you. You may leave. If we meet again, all bets are off." To the others, he added, "But no matter what happens, Benny and his family are free."

"Sounds like my cue," said Nightwing. "Good luck, Benny." After glaring at Walter one final time, Nightwing opened the window and departed.

Benny turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he stopped, and turned back toward the Indrales. "Frank? Before I go, can I ask you one thing?"

Frank was silent. Benny took the silence as acquiescence. "What was in the envelope?"

The question caught Frank by surprise. "What envelope?"

"The envelope. The one you gave me to deliver that first day. The first job I ever did for you. What was in it?"

Recognition dawned in Frank's eyes. "Ah. It was empty, Benny. It was just an envelope."

Benny nodded, then turned and left.

The End...

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